Process for making pavements and the like



S p 1943., .1. M. VALLES SANCHEZ 2,329,670

PROCESS FOR MAKING PAVEMENTS AND THE LIKE Filed June 27, 1941 UIIIIIII WI 12 INVENTOR. Jlrse flar/a Val/(s Sam/zez Patented Sept. 14, 1943 Q v I Y July 1194 pal egmr'ig gig-getting.

I *a gipirws qier itlqna i n i hkez ha a le am-- Ami MW: QM 9: m 25 mm it be ma be b n or ex into 1 9 s.; These strips l0 may be provided H v v v I 50 i; ll struck out of the mid-portion 5" 4 5% mwm s: W31 s- QH% %YPE%9% HA? 9? 2 an -V at angle e Surface f; n g '0j fi w I th. .8 apgprepgrsg f h ereaf, b tqn gl les l2 which may :bg struck put; an m, g g y W V I m f I), tom edge Of the strip and benkaiyar; in ribb m i m i k w; W

"mtg \9,. .7 as lllustrafedja're of triangular shape, but may Inasmuch as the strips are thin and flexible,

they would not normally remain straight when assembled into a grid formation and, therefore, I

have provided mechanism for stretching or ten-- sioning the strips lengthwise to render them sufficiently rigid to be form-retaining.

The stretching or tensioningdevices A, illustrated in Figure 2, consist of a channel member l4 supported upon a plurality of legs l5 which are adapted to be positioned outside the area to which the flooring or surfacing is to be applied. The legs I 5 may be anchored to the floor or Walls in an desired way, such as by screws, so as to retain them in fixed posiiton.. Extending through the opposite walls Ma and Nb of the channel member M. are one or more spindles l6 having slots |6a adjacent their. lower ends for receiving the ends of the strips I0.

The slots 16a preferably are so positioned that when the end of a strip is received therein, the inner edge of the strip is spaced slightly from the supporting floor and the outer edge of the strip lies substantially in the plane of the surface of theflnished floor. Each spindle I6 is retained against downward movement by means of a ratchet wheel I! fixed thereto which rests upon the top wall Ida of thechannel member I4 and cooperates with a pawl l8 which may be used to retain the spindles against rotation in one direction. A cross-pin l forming a handle is pro-: vided at the upper end of the spindle l6 so that the spindle may be turned in a direction to wind the end of a strip l0 thereon and place it under tension. Each spindle 16 is retained against upward movement by means of a collar 20 fixed to the spindle l6 and engaging the undersurface of the side wall 14b of the channel member;

As shown in Figure 2, the transverse strips are positioned initially with their ends in the slots l6a of the spindles I5 of the tensioning devices A on opposite sides of the area to which the surfacing composition is to be applied; Likewise, tensioning devices A are positioned at opposite ends of the area to which the surface is to be applied and other strips ID are so positioned that their ends are received in the slots lGa of thejspindles I6 thereof. 'The longitudinally extending strips may be positioned with the slots l3 openin upwardly and the transversely extending strips IQ ma be positioned with the slots l3 opening downwardly so that the strips interfit and form the grid G, disclosed in Figure 2. When the strips are positioned, the spindle I6 are rotated to place the strips under tension and render them rigid. The grid G forms a plurality of cavities which are adapted to receive a floo'r composition which harde'ns or sets upon standing; This composition may be of uniform texture and color or varied in color or texture so that when it is deposited in the cavities in the grid 'a wide variety of patterns may be formed. The gridG, because of the tension on the individual strips, is sufiiciently rigid to permit the flooring composition to be poured into the cavities between the strips 10 and allowed to harden therein without displacing the strips l0. After the flooring composition has hardened sufliciently' to be elf-sustaining, the tensioning devices A are removed from around the area and flooring composition is poured into these vacated areas to complete the floor surface.

Vthile I prefer to form the grid G of a plurality of strips, such a grid may be formed from a single elongated flexible ribbon or strip. As shOwn in Figure 3 and 4, the strip in is wound around a plurality of pegs 2! or pegs 22 having rollers 23 5 coaxial therewith to form a diamond or other polygonal shape.

The inner end of the strip It, as viewed in Figure 4, is anchored or attached to a stretching device A of the type described above and the other end similarl attached to another stretching device A so that when tension stresses are applied to the strips they will form a figure which is defined by the position of the pegs 2! or peg and roller constructions 22 or 23. Thus, with the single strip it is possible to form any desired design of strips such as parallelograms, polygons or zig-zag formations, as may be'desired, utilizin but a single strip of thin, flexible mate rial. After the grid has been formed by tensioning the strip, the flooring composition is poured thereinto as described above. Before the flooring composition has hardened completely, the pegs 2| or 22 and the tensioning devices are removed and the spaces left by removal of these devices are filled with the flooring composition.

The above-described apparatus and. process have the advantage of permitting practically unlimited variation in the design formedwith the strip or ribbonslIInasmuch as the strips or ribbons are very thin,; their; cost; is relatively less than that of the strips heretofore used with the result that the cost oi the, floor or wall facings is materially reduced.

While the preferred form of the invention has been described above, it will be understoodthat other typesiof strip tensioning means may be used without departing fromthe invention and that the size and shape of the strip may be varied so long as it is sufficiently flexible to be shaped and positioned by such tensioning means. Therefore, the forms of the invention described above should'be considered as illustrative, only, and not as limiting the scope of the following claims.

I claim: r

1. An apparatus for forming facings for pavements, floors, walls and the like containing a plu rality of angularly related, thin, flexible strips forming molds for receiving initially plastic material whichhardens upon standing, comprising means for receiving-and positioning one end of each of said strips, means for receiving the other end of each of said strips and means for tensioning said strips to rigidify and position said strips during the application of said plastic material.

2. An apparatus for positioning thin flexible strips to define areas for receiving facing materials whichharden upon standing comprising a member adapted to be positioned adjacent one side of an area to which said facing material is to be applied, means on said member for receiving oneend of a thin, flexible strip and means for adjusting the first-mentioned means to exert a tensioning stress on said strip to rigidity and position said strip.

3. An apparatus forpositioning thin flexible strips to define areas for receiving facing materials which harden upon standing, comprising members adapted to be positioned adjacent opposite sides of an area to which said facing mate rial is to be applied, rotatable spindles on said members extending substantially normal to the plane of said area for receiving opposite ends of a thin, flexible strip and means for rotating said spindles to wind the ends of said strips thereon and exert a tensioning stress on said strip to rigidity and position said strip.

4. A method for preparing facings for walls,

' floors and the like comprising forming at least one flexible, ribbon-like strip into a grid, tensioning said strip to render it rigid and retain it in position, filling said grid substantially to the level of the upper edge of said strip with a plastic composition which hardens on standing and releasing the tension on said strip after the composition has hardened sufliciently to retain the strip in the position assumed by it under tension.

5. A method for preparing facings for walls, floors and the like which comprisesassembling a plurality of thin, flexible strips ofmetal into the form of a grid, tensioning said flexible strips to rigidify and retain them in fixed position, substantially filling said grid with a plastic composition which hardens upon standing and releasing the tension on said strips after said composition has hardened suificiently to retain the strips in the position assumed by them under tension.

6. A facing for pavements, walls, floors and the like comprising a plurality of angularly related, flexible, tensioned, metallic strips forming a grid defining a plurality of molds, said strips having laterally projecting anchoring means thereon, and a hardened facing material substantially filling said molds and interlocked with said laterally projecting means to hold said strips under tension, and said strips having edges exposed to view at the surface of said facing.

'7. A facing for pavements, walls, floors and the like comprising a support, a plurality of angularly related, flexible, tensioned strips in spaced relation to said support and defining a plurality of mold cavities, a hardened facing material substantially filling said cavities and the space between said strips and said support and holding said strips under tension, and said strips havin edges exposed to View at the surface of said one edge and spaced at intervals along the length thereof, and being arranged in angularly intersecting relation to one another with the slotted portions in inter-engaging relation, and in their assembled relation forming a grid with a plurality of mold cavities,and a hardened facing material substantially filling said cavities and holding said strips under tension.

JOSE MARIA VALLES SANCHEZ; 

